


A Higher Form of War

by windscryer



Series: Maja's Fluff VLD Week 2017 [2]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Caretaking, Fluff, Found Family, Gen, Homesickness, Pillow & Blanket Forts, Pillow Fights, Platonic Relationships, SNORT as if there is such a thing, Space Uncle Coran (Voltron), coran is the cool space uncle, earth culture, excessive use of pillows, for the culture y'know?, showing aliens earth movies, tiny smidge of angst whoops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-12
Updated: 2017-04-12
Packaged: 2018-10-18 00:35:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10605627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/windscryer/pseuds/windscryer
Summary: Pidge has a plan to combat Lance's homesickness, but it's going to take a team effort. After all that training and bonding and focusing they've done though? They've got this.





	

Pidge spent half an hour looking for him before she finally found Shiro in the kitchen. He was leaning against the counter and discussing tomorrow’s training with Allura and eating his dessert from dinner out of a bowl.

While she could certainly appreciate Hunk’s skill in creating something that tasted—if didn’t remotely _look_ —like butterscotch pudding, there were more important things to be done right now. Though interrupting those two plotting the demise of the rest of them via endless, brutal drills was always a valid reason in and of itself.

Knowing that giving him a chance to argue was the best way to fail, Pidge just grabbed hold of his arm and started pulling him towards the door. Happily, while he could play the part of an immoveable object very well, his default mode with the paladins outside of battle seemed to be to go with it unless or until he found a reason not to.

Careful testing had proven that this seemed to be especially true for her. Based on years of being Matt’s little sister she had her suspicions why and probably shouldn’t approve, but it worked and she had no desire to sabotage a perfectly useful loophole.

“I think if we—” He looked down when she wrapped her fingers around his wrist and tugged. “Oh, hey, Pidge, what’s— Okay, I guess we’re leaving,” he said, sounding thoroughly amused. “I’ll see you later, Princess.”

“Until later,” Allura said, laughter clear in her tone.

He let himself be pulled along for a couple of hallways, then tried to get his arm free. She instinctively tightened her grip and was lifted up onto her toes, but he just said, “I’m not going to run away, but I’d like my hand back to finish my pudding, if that’s all right.”

She squinted at him, then nodded and let him go, pacing at his side as he resumed scraping his bowl clean.

“So what did you need?”

“Your long arms,” she said honestly, leading him around a corner and down the hall to a storage room she’d found in her early exploration of the castleship. It was an oversized linen closet, but given it was in the middle of what seemed to be a residential hall, that wasn’t that weird.

She led the way in, then took his bowl from his hands. Seeing it was thoroughly empty she set it aside with an, “I’ll come back for that. I need those,” she said, pointing at the top three shelves stacked with blankets. “And those,” she added, pointing to the rear wall where vacuum sealed packages full of pillows waited in orderly rows. “And pretty much everything on this wall,” she finished, waving at the last shelves full of sheets and more blankets.

“All of them?” Shiro inquired with a crooked grin.

“Every last one,” she agreed. “If you can knock them down for me I can carry some of them, but I already pulled everything I could reach or climb to.”

Shiro arched an eyebrow, but the lower shelves were all clearly empty and everything left was well above her head.

“Is your room cold or is there another reason you need all of this bedding?”

His tone was half real concern and half patient amusement, but the smile dropped off his face when she said, “Lance is homesick again. Hunk is with him in the holosuite, but even if it looks like Earth and feels like Earth it doesn’t smell or taste like it and the correct sounds are somewhat limited. Plus the holosuite can’t do people it’s never taken an imprint of, so any places you feed into it that aren’t open wilderness tend to feel more post-apocalyptic than anything. Until we can make a stop somewhere populated enough that he can distract himself with new people, we have to improvise.”

She couldn’t hold his softening, knowing gaze. She looked at the floor, crossing her arms over her chest. “When we moved so dad and Matt could be closer to the Garrison, I got homesick too sometimes. Matt—” Her throat closed and she swallowed hard. “Matt would help me build a blanket fort and we’d spend all afternoon in it just… goofing off and hanging out. I thought maybe we could at least try it and see if it helps Lance. You know, for a little while.”

She saw the shadows shift and Shiro’s boots come into her line of sight and then his hand came up to squeeze her shoulder. “I think that’s a great idea, Pidge.”

Biting her lip, she looked up. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” Shiro said, beaming proudly at her. “I’m sure he’ll love it.” He tugged her against his side and she fell into the hug easily, holding onto him tightly for a long moment. It wasn’t quite the same as hugging her dad or Matt, but it was still nice. He was a very solid, grounded sort of person and some of the anxious feelings swimming around in her own gut settled at the contact.

“Okay.” She pulled back. “So, yeah, everything that’s not nailed down in here needs to come to the lounge.”

He nodded and handily reached up for the first stack to give to her. When both of them had full arms, she led the way back out and down the hall.

* * *

 The comm bud in her ear chirped twice and Pidge tucked the edge of the sheet she was holding behind the cushion she was using for a weight.

“They’re coming!” she said, turning to survey the room. There wasn’t a smooth, hard surface left visible in the room except for the large screen on the wall. Even the chairs that Coran and Allura—once filled in on the task and the reason for it—had helped pull from the dining room to serve as tent poles were covered with a blanket each.

The overhead lights were dimmed significantly by the layers between them and the couches, but it gave the place that soft, liminal sort of twilight that was an important part of any good blanket fort. Allura had shown them to another closet full of purely decorative pillows—though they were no less soft and squishy for all that they had beautiful embroidery and printing on them—and the sunken floor was almost completely full, like a ball pit made of pillows instead, with more on the couches and chairs.

They were in more danger of suffocating than being uncomfortable, Pidge was pretty sure.

Shiro and Coran were securing the last few sheet corners and Keith was frowning at the pillows as he rearranged them over and over again, trying to find some pattern—or lack thereof—that satisfied him. Allura came to stand next to Pidge, hand on her hips.

“This does look quite comfortable and cozy,” she said. “I can see why you would like it.”

“Lance will love it,” Pidge agreed. “I hope so, anyway. Hunk said there was no such thing as too many pillows, so we’ll see.”

“I appreciate you sitting with me, Hunk,” Lance’s voice drifted through the walls blocking off the cubicle entrance they’d rigged up. He still sounded sad, and tired, but Pidge had expected that. The holosuite had been more a distraction than a real attempt at cheering him up. “And I’ll be fine, I just—”

Shiro stepped over and dropped down silently on the couch near Keith, who was staring at the entrance. Coran came to stand by Allura and Pidge walked forward, ending up almost knee-deep in pillows at the center of it all.

The urge to fidget and fiddle her fingers was strong, but she kept them down at her sides and waited.

“If you don’t want to go in, that’s okay, man,” Hunk said quietly. “Pidge and I just thought—”

There were hurried clothing rustling sounds and then the soft thump of sneakers hitting the floor and Lance burst through the curtain doors, jaw hanging loose as he took in the transformed room.

The low-hanging ceiling drooped in places like particularly colorful clouds and short tables laden with the stockpiled snacks Hunk had directed Pidge to bring sat behind either side of the couch within easy reach. There was the pillow pit, of course, and more blankets on the couches amid the cushions like lumpy, drifted snow.

Lance took it all in, then looked at each of them, the smile on his face widening with every movement. Pidge thought she saw a misty sheen to his eyes, but he laughed and turned around, latching onto Hunk in a bear hug when he came inside.

“You’re the best, buddy. Thank you.”

Hunk patted his back and said, “It really was more Pidge’s idea, I just made some suggestions and served as a distraction.”

“Pidge!” Lance crowed and turned, jumping down into the pit without hesitation and wading forward.

She had half a second to realize what was coming before he swept her up and swung her around, laughing. A noisy kiss on her cheek and he set her down again, still beaming.

“Thanks, Pigeon. You’re my favorite little bird.”

“I’m not a bird,” she protested, making a show of wiping at her cheek, but it was more habit than anything and he just grinned wider.

“Thanks, everyone,” he said, turning and including them all in his expansive gestures. “This is incredible. Especially since you even got Keith to help! Good job on you for learning something new today!”

Keith rolled his eyes, but he didn’t respond to the jab.

Shiro did, and in a way that no one—Lance especially—saw coming: with a pillow to the face.

He stared gobsmacked, catching the fluffy square out of reflex. Then a light of challenge and joy filled his eyes. “Oh it is _on!”_

He lunged, pillow ready to fly, but was intercepted by the one Keith wielded in Shiro’s defense.

“Hunk!” Lance cried from where he was face down in the pillows.

“I’m coming, buddy!” Hunk said, vaulting over the couch and into the pit. He grabbed Lance up in one arm, a pillow in the other and fired it in the direction of Keith and Shiro as he retreated.

Pidge pulled off her glasses and tossed them to Coran shouting, “Put these somewhere safe!” and then ducked and grabbed two pillows, thwacking Hunk on the back of his head even as she lobbed the other at Shiro.

She went down the next second with a yelp as Lance grabbed her ankle and jerked her foot out from under her. “Allura! Coran! Save me!” she begged as Lance took advantage of her prone position and his longer reach to start tickling her sides.

He had her legs pinned so she couldn’t effectively kick him off, but it proved unnecessary as Coran descended with a war cry and began smacking anything he could reach with his fluffy weapons of choice.

There Pidge glanced up and saw the slightly fuzzy, upside-down shape of Allura still hesitating at the top of the steps.

“Come on, Allura! Join us. Let’s show these boys how warrior women fight!” She picked up a pillow and tossed it. Allura caught it easily and then gave an undignified screech as she suddenly had Shiro lunging toward her with a smirk.

He probably regretted that when she caught him across the face, but he was laughing when he landed back on his ass on the couch next to where Keith was kneeling and trying to hit both Lance and Hunk at the same time.

“You’re not fighting fair!” he protested.

“Fairs are where you get cotton candy and funnel cake!” Lance retorted. “This is _war!_ ”

A hand wrapped around Pidge’s arm as she reached up toward the couch for more ammo and she was abruptly tugged to her feet at Allura’s side.

“Is there a point system for this game?” she asked, using one larger pillow for a shield against the smaller bean-bag type cushions Shiro was throwing at them.

“Not really,” Pidge said, ducking forward to throw a pillow back. Shiro laughed and she assumed she hit him, an assumption confirmed when the same pillow came flying back in an underhand pitch and landed on their heads. “You don’t even necessarily keep to your sides, it’s more a free for all of beating the crap out of each other with pillows so no one gets seriously hurt. Lance! Watch out!”

Lance spun around in time to take a pillow to the chest from Coran who laughed in triumph right up until Hunk hit him in the knee and Keith nailed him in the face.

Hunk pulled Lance to his feet and they both backpedaled to where Keith was holding down the couch. The two of them flanked him as they rearmed themselves and Coran paused to give them a shrewd look.

“Oh I see how it is. You think you three grenlapips can take me?”

“Hunk,” Keith directed, “go high. Lance, you’ve got the middle. I’ve got low. Go _now!_ ”

All three of them leapt from the couch screaming like banshees and Coran’s eyes widened before he went down under the pile of them, pillows flying and laughter bouncing off the walls.

“Pidge!” Allura shouted, bringing her back from her distraction. An arm wrapped around her waist and she was yanked off her feet again, this time by Allura who set her aside and then twirled to catch Shiro where he’d been trying to sneak up on them.

He laughed brightly and went down, but not before grabbing her arm and taking her with him.

“Piiidge!” Allura yelled, still furiously battering at Shiro with her shield pillow. She began shrieking with laughter as he pinned her with one arm well enough to tickle her with the other. “Help me! _Piiiiiidge!”_

She grinned and leapt back into the fray, freeing Allura so they could turn the tables back on him.

* * *

Pidge’s sides hurt from being tickled, hit with pillows, and laughing. She had rug burn on her knee and a small bruise on her shoulder from where she’d smacked into a table at one point, but she’d waved off the concern and retaliated with fluffy vengeance before anyone could really freak out. No blood, no foul.

When they’d finally declared a truce, everyone looked as winded, mussed up, and happy as she felt.

Miraculously none of the food had been knocked over, a point that Allura had pointed out as proof that they were getting better at keeping track of their surroundings in a battle.

After one last united volley of pillows thrown at her and a declaration that talk of training was not allowed in the fort—to which she’d pouted and sighed dramatically, but conceded—they’d all settled down and Pidge had put a movie on.

In retrospect, they probably should have explained a few things before showing _Jurassic Park_ to the Alteans, but a brief pause to give the necessary background—and a disclaimer that this was definitely fiction and humans did not live with giant reptiles and hadn’t yet done anything this ridiculous—and they’d been able to resume.

They hadn’t made the same mistake before she started _Finding Nemo_.

Hunk was sitting in the middle of the horseshoe, arms up over the back of the couch. Lance was on his left with Coran, answering all of the Altean’s questions about Earth marine animals and ecosystems in hushed, but excited whispers with an occasional insert by Hunk.

Keith was on Hunk’s other side a foot or so away, brow set into a scowl that Pidge suspected meant that he’d never seen this movie before. She realized after starting it that it might hit some sore spots, but his shoulders were relaxed and he was slumped back into the cushions and he hadn’t left yet, which she knew he would if he really didn’t like it.

Shiro and Allura were on his other side and she too was asking questions, but hers were more about the characters and the animation techniques—though she admitted she found the sharks fascinating and wanted to know more about them later.

Pidge sat in the pillow pit at their feet and fielded some of the more technical questions about animation that Shiro didn’t know. She might have been getting a little too into it because Shiro nudged her with a foot.

“Save the lecture for later, Professor,” he teased. “Watch the movie now.”

She stuck her tongue out at him and stole the sticky bun he had on his plate, ignoring his wounded protest and Allura’s giggle.

There was talk of going to bed by the end of the credits, but Lance made with the puppy eyes and no one seemed really determined anyway, so she put on _The Princess and the Frog_ because _Star Wars_ was too long and perhaps a bit too close to home.

Plus, Shiro was right, Allura was probably going to want to take notes and no one wanted to get up and turn the lights back on.

She seemed even more interested at that, but the six and a half hour runtime for the original trilogy alone tempered it for the moment. She extracted a promise they would watch it later and let the matter rest for now.

Pidge made it all the way to the Mama Odie’s song in the bayou before she drifted off. At some point she felt a blanket being laid down over her and her glasses being pulled off, but a soft voice and a firm hand on her shoulder told her to go back to sleep.

She couldn’t think of a good argument against that, so she sighed and dropped back into the comforting darkness and a feeling of being home.


End file.
